Mike Sandbrook  

1 comments Posted by Andrew

Over the last year our church has been searching for a new youth pastor (with some associate responsibilities). It has been a good process if a little long. However, it is with excitement that I can announce that the church issued a call to Mike Sandbrook for this role and he has accepted. Mike comes to us from Avalon Baptist in Wellington with a lot of experience, gifts and wisdom. We can't wait for him and Jess and Dylan and James to join our church community here at Napier and walk the journey with Jesus together. Mike will be joining us in June.

Please Pray  

0 comments Posted by Andrew

This week has seen a horrible tragedy in New Zealand. 7 people from the Elim Christian College in Auckland lost their lives in an Outdoors Pursuit disaster at Mangatepopo. This has had a significant affect on New Zealand and especially on the New Zealand Christian community. There are many who have connections with the college or those who attend the college. The teacher, Tony McClean, who died trying to save one of his students is the son of Baptist pastor John and Jeanette McClean at Eastview Baptist. Following Steve Taylor's lead, we will have 2 cards for people to sign on Sunday morning - one for John and Jeanette McClean and the other for Elim Christian College. Please pray for those affected by this tragedy and the agony, pain, anger, guilt and fear that will be raw at this time.

Making God's Kingdom Visible  

7 comments Posted by Andrew

We've begun a series at Napier Baptist on "Making God's Kingdom Visible" because I believe that is the call to the church. This week the sermon text is Lk. 4:16-30. This text has probably impacted me more than any other when it comes to understanding something of the mission of Jesus. I believe this passage (epecially the quote from Isaiah) is the key to understanding Luke's gospel (as well as who Jesus is and what was his message in the gospel of Luke). I came across this prayer in my reading this week - it seems to hard and unrealistic for me to pray. What do you reckon...?

Prayer for the Gift of Poverty:
Lord Jesus, I ask you for a new fullness of the charism [gift] of poverty. I ask you to reveal to me my inordinate attachments, my holding on to things or to persons, my 'richness' that keeps me from saying a more complete yes to you.
I surrender to you my excessive search for material comforts, and whatever material goods I have that I do not really need to serve you.
I surrender to you my excessive need for attention, for acclaim and applause. I surrender my selfish ambition, my search for honours, my vain glory and my pride.
I surrender to you my possesiveness of those whom I love. Teach me to love freely, leaving others free, teach me to love with an open hand. Teach me to love more and better.
Give me the interior poverty that depends on you and not on the world's acceptance. Teach me to enter by the narrow gate that leads to life. You are that gate, Lord, let me follow you, taking up my cross.
For you alone, Lord, are my portion. I have no inheritance, for you are my inheritance; I want no possessions, for you are my possession (Ez. 44:28).
- Robert Faricy in John Fuellenbach, Proclaiming His Kingdom: Meditations for Personal Recollection (Manila: Logos Publications, 1994).

George Wieland's Visit  

0 comments Posted by Andrew


George Wieland was my NT lecturer at Carey. He started there around the same time as I began my studies. George had a massive impact on my life as a Christian and a pastor. I majored in NT and Systematic Theology and so I had George as a lecturer many times. I can remember being new to teriary study (I had been a mechanic and my highest qualification was 6th form certificate that I only scraped through on) and talking with George about my insecurities associated with study and academia. George is one of the best listener I have ever met and he graciously listened to me and encouraged me. I've just completed a BTh (Hons) degree and managed to get 1st class honours and now I can look back to those many years ago sitting in George's office and see how much his gracious encouragement impacted me. George is among those people I turn to when I want someone I trust to speak into my life on significant issues.
To go with all that, George is an amazing NT lecturer, scholar and a brilliant preacher. So it was a thrill when I asked George to come and spend a weekend at Napier Baptist that he agreed. George is with us on Saturday 19th April and Sunday 20th April. He's going to lead a weekend on the Missional Church, drawing on huge amount of research he's done on the Pastoral Epistles (1 & 2nd Timothy & Titus). The weekend's title is:

Mission Insights from Titus: Telling and Living the Good News.

Saturday 19th April 3pm – 5pm:
Telling the Good News - George will set the scene of mission in the challenging context of the island of Crete in New Testament times. He will then look at how the first generation of Christian missionaries found ways of connecting with the beliefs and aspirations of the people they were trying to reach.
Sunday 20th April 9am and 10:30am:
Living the Good News - George will show how Paul expected the grace-trained lives of those who had become believers to impact their families and communities.


George is Scottish and holds a PhD in New Testament from University of Aberdeen on the topic of "The Significance of Salvation in the Pastoral Epistles" and published a book in 2006 through Paternoster Press on The Significance of Salvation: A Study of Salvation Language in the Letters to Timothy and Titus. Before lecturing at Carey Baptist College George spent many years in Baptist ministry in the UK and in cross cultural mission in Brazil. George recently lead a cross cultural mission trip to India and is on the Tranzsend (NZ Baptist) Mission Council.

If you're in the Hawkes Bay area, please feel free to come and join us (it doesn't cost anything).

Jesus' favourite subject  

3 comments Posted by Andrew

It was a total shock to me when I went to Bible college to learn that Jesus' favourite subject wasn't heaven or how to get me there. Here's a list of Jesus' favourite subjects (broken down into how often they occur in Matthew, Mark and Luke) from an article by Howard Marshall on the Kingdom (or reign) of God (Jesus' favourite subject):


Kingdom of God (or Heaven): (Matt: 50 Mrk: 15 Lk: 39)
Believe, faith: (Matt: 24 Mrk: 20 Lk: 26)
Father (used of God): (Matt: 44 Mrk: 4 Lk: 17)
Love: (Matt: 12 Mrk: 8 Lk: 16)
Parable: (Matt: 17 Mrk: 13 Lk: 18)
Son of Man: (Matt: 26 Mrk: 14 Lk: 24)
Holy Spirit: (Matt: 12 Mrk: 6 Lk: 17)
Jesus' favourite subject is the Kingdom (or reign) of God and yet most Christians don't seem to have a clue about it! If you're interested in learning more about the Kingdom of God, I'd recommend starting by downloading some of the lectures or articles by Tom Wright here.

Newer Posts Older Posts
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)